Malherbe back as injured Stormers return

Cape
Town - The Stormers go
into their clash against the Sharks in Durban this weekend well rested, and
there is good news on the injury front as a result.

While the Sharks were falling
apart against the Bulls this past weekend - they lost 40-10 at Kings
Park - the Stormers had their feet up, making the most of their bye
weekend.

It is a simply massive fixture
this weekend, and whoever loses will be left with an uphill task in looking to
secure a path to the Super Rugby play-offs.

While the Sharks are playing
their eighth match in as many weeks, including their four-game Australasian
tour, the Stormers are hoping to welcome back a number of players from injury
for the business end of their campaign.

Top of that list is Springbok
tighthead prop Frans Malherbe, who
is "good to go", according to Stormers skills coach Paul
Feeney.

Malherbe has been out for months
with a neck injury, and his return will be a welcomed boost for Wilco Louw, who
has been the Stormers’ major asset in the front row.

Feeney is also hoping to have JJ Engelbrecht, Dan Kriel and Dewaldt
Duvenage all available for the Sharks, while loose forward Cobus Wiese will be assessed throughout
the week.

The other major return is that of
flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis.

The 23-year-old has been
struggling with groin and hip injuries all year, but he is likely to feature
for Western Province in this weekend's SuperSport Challenge game against the EP
Elephants in Port Elizabeth.

Feeney, meanwhile, is not reading
anything into the Sharks' struggles against the Bulls last weekend.

"The Sharks will be
disappointed by that performance, so their coaches would have had one or two
harsh words to say and they’ll be training really hard this week," he
said.

"It’s probably not a good
thing for us, that result, to be honest with you."